Harshit Sharma

I have been applying to Google since 2021 but my resume finally got shortlisted in 2024. Here’s how I changed my resume over those 2+ years, along with the incremental improvements that got me into Google. 1️⃣. First Applications to Google  - Date: May 2021  - Resume Template: Novoresume Standard  - Position Applied For: Software Engineer, University Graduate  - Key Skills Highlighted: HTML, CSS, JS, C/C++  - Projects: 2 Projects; both web development  - Prev Experience: 2 Internships; At no-name startups  - Referral: Yes Pros: Included all basic sections. Had referral. Cons: The resume was not dense, only ¾ of a page. Also, realized later - novoresume has a really poor ATS score. This one had 17/100. 2️⃣. Next batches of applications before graduating  - Date: Jan to Jun 2022  - Resume Template: Word doc -> Save as pdf  - Position Applied For: SWE roles - India and Warsaw  - Key Skills Highlighted: HTML, CSS, JS, React, Node, C/C++  - Projects: 3 Web development projects  - Prev Experience: 3 Internships; All no name startups  - Achievements + Certificates: Added competition ranks and course certifications  - Referral: No Pros: Skills and projects increased. Word offers better readability for both ATS and recruiter. Resume was a full page. Cons: ATS score was still around 30-35/100 3️⃣. Continued applications throughout 2023  - Date: 2023  - Resume template: Overleaf AltaCV Template by LianTze Lim  - Position Applied For: SWE roles  - Key Skills Highlighted: C/C++, Data Structures & Algorithms  - Projects: 5 Projects (highlighted either frontend or backend for each)  - Prev Experience: Amazon, 3 Internships  - Referral: No Pros: Got confident enough to add LinkedIn and coding profile urls. Solid template increased ATS score to 50. Started using the XYZ framework for my bullets. Cons: Resume got lengthy at 1.75 pages - not good for recruiter’s eyes. ✅ Final Resume: - Date: 3 applications between Nov-Dec 2023  - Mostly same as the last version  - Except I trimmed out the buzzwords  - And cut down projects, certifications and volunteer experience to fit 1 page.  - ATS score: 65/100  - Referral: No  - Result: Got Google recruiter’s email in Jan 2024, and finally joined Google in April 2024! 📚 Tips from my trial-and-error that you can apply to improve your resume today: [1] Must have Sections - Education, Skills, Experience and/or projects; +Links to coding profiles. [2] Check your resume’s ATS score - every time you make big changes. [3] Cut the buzzwords - Recruiters don’t like them, neither does ATS. [4] Use the “I did X using Y to achieve Z formula” to show impact. [5] And quantify that impact, using numbers. Eg - generated $10K revenue, reduced failures by 70%. [6] Referrals get you priority. Leverage them. [7] But if you don’t get one in time, apply anyway - you might still get the call! #google #resume #shortlisting

After taking 75 Software Engineer interviews at Google in < 7 months, I’ve seen a range of mistakes all of us make in coding interviews. Here’s a compiled list to help you (and me) avoid these pitfalls in our future interviews! 1️⃣ Not Clarifying Requirements > Many candidates jump straight into coding. Often without fully understanding the problem. This can waste time and lead to errors. Tip: Always ask clarifying questions. To ensure you get the requirements. Confirm edge cases and input constraints early on. 2️⃣ Overcomplicating Solutions > In the heat of the moment, it is easy to overthink a problem. And this complicates the solution, both for you and your interviewer. Tip: Start with a brute-force approach (just explain it), then iterate towards optimization (code it up). Easy-to-understand solutions get bonus points. 3️⃣ Under-Communication > Interviews are not just about coding. They’re also about conveying your thought process. Silence takes away the only help you have during the interview—your interviewer. Tip: Think out loud! Explain your reasoning and approach as you code. This helps the interviewers understand you and even guide you if needed. 4️⃣ Ignoring Edge Cases > Many candidates create a working solution. But fail to consider edge cases. This can lead to catastrophic failures. Tip: After arriving at a solution, always discuss potential edge cases. Explain how your code handles them. This shows your thoroughness. 5️⃣ Neglecting to Optimize > Even if your solution works, failing to consider optimization can cost you points. Tip: After solving the problem, re-read your solution and discuss ways to improve time and space complexity. No micro-optimizations. Interviewers appreciate candidates who think about efficiency in big-oh notation. 6️⃣ Skipping Dry Runs > 80%+ candidates skip the dry run of their code, leading to overlooked mistakes. Tip: Walk through your code with sample inputs. This helps catch errors early and makes you look proactive. 7️⃣ Getting Flustered > Interviews are stressful. And it is easy to panic if you hit a roadblock. Tip: If you’re stuck, ask for a minute or 2 to gather your thoughts. Ask for hints if necessary—interviewers appreciate candidates who are willing to seek help. Those were my 2 cents on how to tackle coding interviews. But believe it or not, the best way to realize your interview mistakes would be to start taking interviews (even mock ones). After conducting so many interviews at Google, I realized how I often fell into the same traps as everyone. Like going completely silent or forgetting to do a dry run for the interviewer. Taking interviews altered my perspective, and now I advise everyone preparing for interviews to take a couple of them first. Total game changer! #codingInterviews #jobPrep #softwareEngineering #Google #interviewTips

My 2024 Google interview experience (and result) for Software Engineer II role : ⏳ The process: 1️⃣ Recruiter email on 3rd Jan 2024 2️⃣ Recruiter call on 23rd Feb 2024 3️⃣ Asked for interviews next week 4️⃣ 1 Phone screen round 5️⃣ 3 Coding rounds 6️⃣ 1 Googleyness round 7️⃣ 1 Team match round 💻 The interviews: 1️⃣ Phone screen round: A medium two-pointers based problem with another medium follow-up. - Answered the first one fast, took a hint to finish the second. - This round went perfect. Interview was like a discussion among colleagues (easter egg). If you can solve LC 11. Container With Most Water, you can solve this as well. 3️⃣ Coding round 1: A hashing problem with an alternative solution using deque. Medium-hard difficulty for hashset solution, but hard for deque implementation. - Gave both approaches, coded the second one but forgot to handle duplicates. - Resolved the issue; the interviewer appeared satisfied. If you can solve LC 239. Sliding Window Maximum, you can solve this too. 4️⃣ Coding round 2: A directed graph problem involving DSU. - Objectively the hardest problem across my rounds. - This was also my best round; solved it blazing fast in about 35 minutes. Discussed our Amazon and Google experiences with interviewer in the last 10. Couldn’t find a similar question, but the closest thing would be a DSU problem like - 952. Largest Component Size by Common Factor. 5️⃣ Coding round 3: A binary-tree postorder problem.  Medium difficulty, with a hard space optimization. - Optimized space from O(logn) -> O(1) using Morris. This round went well. If you know Morris Traversal, you can solve this as well. 6️⃣ Googleyness round: 3 behavioral questions. - Prepared commonly asked questions 2 days before this round and that really helped. 🎯 Result:  My interview feedback came out to be very positive. Took 1 month to get a team-match call with my to-be manager. HC approval came 2 days later and finally, a week after that, I got an offer from my dream - Google! 💙❤️💛💚 Overall, Google interview problems were fresh (yes, they don’t repeat) and framed in a way that forces you to think, think more and then some. Hands down, the best interview panel & process I went through in my career. 📚 Tips for a successful interview loop @ Google: - Ask questions after reading the problem. Google appreciates curiosity.  - Finalize approach before coding. There’s almost never enough time to code multiple solutions per problem. - Which brings us to the next point, code super fast! Time is not a luxury in a 45 mins interview. - Does this mean you *have* to start with the most optimal approach? If possible, YES. Otherwise, just get a correct solution in, then focus on optimization. - Share your thoughts with the interviewer. Effective communication is a highly desired metric of every SWE role, and Google is no exception here. - Google “Googleyness interview questions”, and within the first 2 links you’ll find 90% of the questions asked.